What To Do When Your iPhone Gets Wet

Uh oh! Your iPhone fell in the pool/lake/ocean/bath/washing machine/sink/toilet! What now? Are all of your photos gone? How do I get a new phone?

These are all really important questions. For most people, losing your iPhone for a few days due to water damage is the equivalent of having an arm removed: we rely on them so much these days for everyday communication that it really hurts to be down.

We feel you.

So here’s our best advice on how to get your iPhone fixed and your data restored.

1. Don’t Try to Turn it On

When an iPhone gets wet, the first reaction is to try to turn it on to see if it still works. Please resist the temptation, because trying to turn on the device can work against you. There may be water on the circuit boards inside and it can cause something to get fried!

We want your iPhone to be resurrected too, just don’t try to turn it on.

2. Put it in Rice While You Figure Stuff Out

You may have heard of the ol’ rice trick, and guess what: it actually works a lot of the time. So, our advice is to put your iPhone into a ziplock bag of uncooked, unseasoned rice while you sort out the details. It can’t hurt anything to get it in rice until you’re back online. We’ve actually seen this bring some devices to life!

For maximum effectiveness, it’s best to keep the device in rice for 24+ hours. It takes a while for the rice to suck out the moisture, so give it some time before you try to turn it on again.

Apple has the ability to completely replace your device that same day, even if it’s way out of warranty, for a reasonable price. And, if you have a warranty, you could save a ton of money.

Getting your submerged iPhone/iPad fixed anywhere else but Apple will void all of your warranties with Apple and can be extremely costly down the road.

If you can, make a Genius bar appointment at your nearest Apple Store to get a replacement set up. If you can’t make an appointment, Apple has opened up to take more walk-in appointments, so just go up there.

What will it cost to replace?

Here are the costs to replacing a water-damaged iOS device:

Water Damaged iPad Replacement Costs

iPad Model

Replace Device

AppleCare+ Replacement

Original

$249

$49

2

$249

$49

3

$299

$49

4

$299

$49

Air

$299

$49

Air 2

$379

$49

9.7″ Pro

$379

$49

12.9″ Pro

$599

$49

Mini

$199

$49

Mini 2

$249

$49

Mini 3

$299

$49

Mini 4

$299

$49

Water Damaged iPhone Replacement Costs

iPhone Model

Replace Device

AppleCare+ Replacement

Original

$149

NA

3G

$149

NA

3GS

$149

NA

4

$149

$49

4S

$199

$49

5

$269

$49

5C

$269

$79

5s

$269

$79

6

$299

$79

6 Plus

$329

$79

6s

$299

$99

6s Plus

$329

$99

iPod Touch will usually run between $150-200 for replacement, depending on which model. You can see the complete list of iPod replacement costs at Apple’s iPod Touch Support site.